The Rescue
by qsmadness007
Summary: the sequel to The Kidnapping, what will happen to poor eberts
1. Default Chapter

The Rescue  
by ohfan007  
Part 1  
Author's note, dedication, and disclaimer:This is a sequel to my story The Kidnapping.This is a multi narrator story. I have made this a separate story from the kidnapping because some new voices are going to be telling their side. The Kidnapping which had four narrators, and one guest narrator at the end, would have gotten crowded, so therefore, I feel it is time to make the sequel. I am rambling again aren't I, sorry. I dedicate this story to God, the invisible man cast, my family, and my two iman buddies, defohnfemme, and Jordan_radcliffe.Most of these characters are not mine, Invisible man character belongs to scifi, and who ever else claims rights to them, lucy de vere is the creation of defohnfemme. I only lay claim to the Eberts family, his housemates, and Agent Smith, and various other minor characters.  
  
For those of you who are reading this before Kidnapping, -or- not reading kidnapping here is a brief summary. Eberts is kidnapped by Arnaud De Fohn.De fohn is going to torture Eberts. Helping him with ransom notes and other various jobs is Lucy De Vere. The official gets a fax from the raven, lucy's mercenary name, about the kidnapping. Also, a contamination case from the Fbi comes in. Alex and Claire go try and find the Raven, Hobbes and Darien deal with the contamination.Robert Eberts, comes to visit his friend, The Official, to laugh at the predicament his son is in. And Alex and Claire bring Lucy into custody, as part of Arnaud's plan.  
  
  
The Summer is over and all the flowers are dying.  
  
George Berkeley once said " He who says there is no such thing as an honest man, is himself a knave." He has obivously never dealt with the likes of this woman, and who ever she works for. She is putting on one of those feminnine acts, bursting into tears, and moaning about being forced to do this, and not getting all the rights she is entitled to as a UK citizen. Then, we have Eberts father, who is making cracks about everything, including his son being kidnapped, especially if this serving wench did it. I am trying to figure out them both as I lean against the cold metal filing cabinet in The Official's office. Something is rubbing me wrong, about both of them. Okay, let say, Mr. Eberts is really glad his son was kidnapped, and this woman, who has refused to give her name, had nothing to do with Eberts kidnapping, then what in the world are they hiding. They definetly both are hiding something. I am getting so tired of people hiding things from me. Maybe I should have become a psychatrist instead of a theif, then I could pick inside people's heads more. Nah, it would have never worked out, I may have become as paranoid as Hobbes, I do not need that kind of life, I have enough problems, without forming any new mental illnesses. Alex and Claire left ten minutes ago.  
  
"I am a citizen of the United Kingdom, I demand my rights." The woman screams again.   
  
"Look, lady, you will get your rights, but first you have to tell us your name, and what you know about the kidnapping."The Official says, he appears to be getting agrivated with her. Between her, and Mr. Eberts, Me and Hobbes figure he has enough problems, and it is not the time to make wisecracks. The time will come again.  
  
Robert Eberts laughs in his chair, his perfectly trimmed buzzcut of silvery hair, rattles with his head, as he leans back and laughs harder. "I bet she kidnapped him, probably tricked him into thinking, she was going to by one of his paintings." His laugh is hard on the ears, and is hackling. He's probably a smoker. He seems like the marine type, a pompous ass, who has his own sense of humor on everything.I think I feel more sorry Eberts had to live with this guy, then because he got kidnapped. I know if I was him, I would fake being kidnapped, as to walk out on this place, but Eberts doesn't seem the type to do that, and I would activate that plan, but it does me no good at this point. I am stuck here.   
  
"Why should I tell you my name?Your agents come up behind me while I was on the phone, and arrested me, for something I am being forced to do.You are Human and Health resource officers, I really think you have no jursidiction, -or- justifiable cause to hold me here."  
  
He pages two of the guards.They run in promptly. "Take her to the room,strip search her, and we will interrogate her later."  
  
I watch as they take her away, suddenly something flashes in my head. She's dangerous. She probably is.  
  
"Rob, I will talk to you later." Mr.Eberts nods, and salutes The Official and departs.  
  
He turns to us. "You two ready for some investigating reporting?"  
  
"Sure, chief, what's up?" Hobbes asks. We both sling nearer to him.   
  
"After the strip search, you two will interrogate her, each with the same questions. And the second one who does it, if she tells you another person already tell her you are with the FBI. I want to get the truth out of her, and find Eberts before The Raven kills her."  
  
"What is the Raven is that woman?" I asks, i sit on his desk.  
  
"I don't think she is, but if she is, we will cross that bridge when we get there." He dismisses us.  
  
"Hey, Fawkes, do you think we are going to bring back Eberts alive, it isn't really that much of a loss if he dies, not like I want him to die, but it it?"  
  
I give Hobbes a funny look.Why in the world is he asking me this. "Why don't we just try bring Eberts back alive, okay?"  
  
"Umm...Okay." He walks off. "Do you think I can have his office if he dies?" I know he doesn't really hate Eberts, he must have stop taking his meds, again.  
  
Alex comes up behind us. "Whom are you talking about Bobby?" She raises an eyebrow. I can almost sense her snarling at him, if he answers wrong.  
  
"Eberts." He says, not looking directly into her eyes.  
  
"We're going to bring him back alive, so do not talk like that." She snaps at him and walks away.  
  
"Oh, Miss Attitude today, its almost as if she like Eberts." He answers. I quicksilver, while he is watching her leave.  
  
I slap him in the back of the head, and go to check on Claire. I can hear him in the hallway saying. "Hey, who did that, Fawkes? Faw..." The door closes as I enter the lab.  
  
(end of part 1)  
  



	2. ch.2

Part 2  
The World is Black  
  
I can not take much more of this. There is barely one scrape of my body that isn't in pain.My mind is even in pain, as my screams echo through the building and touch the inner workings of my mind. Am I really still alive, can I really be so strong to stand so much pain? They have left me alone for now, but will they kill me soon. They said they were going to get a sedative. I do need a sedative, but somewhere deep inside it is telling me to reject it. My body can not handle any more. No more, no more of anything, not even ointments, my mind calls, it will hurt more you are in enough pain. I wish someone was here, someone to protect me. Someone to unstrap me to this, to hold me in their arms, and help me let all the tears out. The tears that are refusing to flow down my face. I do not deserve this, -or- maybe I do. Maybe I have commited some grave unknown crime against humanity where I deserve to die in this manner. Arnaud had put his little machine on eight, in the end, laughingly telling me ten is the highest and if I had reached that far for more then five seconds, I would be dead.He had threated to just flip it up to that, he needs me for other purposes he said, then he left to go get the sedative. I had learned to answer his questions right near the end. After the first shock, where I lost my memory. My forgotten information all came back to me, the fifth -or- sixth shock. I think I figured out how to answer the questions correctly in the eighteenth -or- nineteenth shock, he had still managed to give me shock a couple of times after that. I feel like a cooked turkey, I am suprised I am not dead. Then this strange thought comes to me, and I begin to laugh.  
  
I probably have enough electricity in my body that I can electrocute people. I am almost a catavari except my weapon is electricity.I begin to laugh louder, and harder, I don't know what has gotten into me, but in a way I feel free. The laughing hurts me even more, but I can not stop. I continue to laugh. Why should I stop? I know I am cracking up, but I don't care. I really don't. "I am cracking up." I whisper to myself. This only causes me to laugh harder. I hear the sound of people running in the room. Someone slaps me hard across the face.His palm feels cool across my face, though it stings.  
  
"What in the world do you think you are doing?" Arnaud yells at me.  
  
I stop laughing for a second. I don't know why, but I feel I should for a second. I wait a few seconds, before I start laughing again.   
  
"Why are you laughing, fool?" Arnaud snaps.  
  
"I haven't figured that out yet." I say meekly.  
  
"You haven't figured that out, yet, oh pardon me." He slaps me again. "Stop it, not another laugh."  
  
He shoves something into my arm. My body begins to reject it, but my eyes are the ones who decide for me when they close, and refuse to open. 


	3. ch.3

Part 3  
Dirty deeds, done dirt cheap  
  
I don't really want Eberts dead, I just figured while the little brown noser is gone to squeeze all the perks I can out of the official. He never gives me anything, not even a raise. Last week, he made me pay four hundred dollars for a pencil holder I acidentally knocked down. Pencil holder, hmm, who needs a four hundred dollar pencil holder, and if that plastic thing on his desk cost four hundred dollars, he got cheated my friend. Stupid thing, if it costs that must it should be gold, -or- something, not green plastic. I blame it on Eberts too, he keeps the books. Four hundred dollars for a pencil holder, lousy cheapskate.I wonder what would happen if I quit. They'd probably take MY van away, its a piece of junk anyway, but the title is in my name.I get so tired of this agency sometimes.  
  
This woman we are suppose to be interrogating, neither me nor Fawkes are getting anything out of her, she keeps looking at her pretty, slim, little scrap of a watch to look at the time.It seems she can't tell us till a certain time, she must be in on it, usually people who are forced to do something, show a little more fear than what she is showing. I do admit she is acting scared, a good act on her part, she is also getting hostile, you give her one backwards glance, -or- make a gesture she seems inapproaite she snape at you. She either is always this pushy, -or- she has developed a major chip on her shoulder since she was forced to make this phone call. She's probably scheming something, typical woman behavior, they make you think they are mean, and watch when the time she is looking for her hits on her timepiece, she will act all charming and sweet. Her father, cousin, whoever is being held hostage has been released by now, and it is okay for her to tell the thieving Raven's secrets.If, Alex is right, and a woman is the Raven, this broad, certainly could be counted as a suspect. Supposly she almost knocked Alex out cold, when she kicked her after she got cornered at the phone booth where she was making a call. Alex is a little pushy mind you, but she's a good agent.She has an evil way of pretending she is attracted to people, but a good agent.  
  
I watch the woman through the two way mirror. Fawkes is giving it a try now. She is still glancing at her watch. The clock strikes 10:00, I know because my watch beeps. She smiles, I knew it.  
  
"I know where you can find your assistant?" She tells him. Her voice sounds the same as before, she's good.  
  
"Oh, do you?" I hear Fawkes ask. "Have you remembered your name as well?" He moves from his chair, and slides closer to her on the little bed, putting his arm around her slim shoulders. She backs away.  
  
"I'm only doing what I was told, I was not told to reveal my name, I am in the witness protection program." Oh, Great another wacko. Glad, she don't have no guns on her, she doesn't does she.  
  
"What were you told to do?" Darien asks, backing away now. He knows facing two of these witness protection wackos, in the last year, it is not wise to do anything that makes them unhappy. That explains her behavior. Maybe that's a cover though, I still think there is something wrong with her little act.Bobby Hobbes is never wrong about his hunches, my friend.  
  
"If I were to get caught, at exactly ten in the morning, I was to tell who ever caught me, your assistant can be found at the corner of Sixth and Ventura at 10: 10, step into the red phonebooth. That's all I know. Can I please go now, I have done nothing wrong?" Her brown eyes pleading.  
  
"Maybe." Darien says and walks calmly out the building.  
  
I step out of the viewing room, we begin to run down the hallway, our footsteps pounding hard on the linoleum.   
  
Darien stops in the official's office, tells him the low down, and we run to the van. We have this routine packed. I hop in the driver's seat and he and the passenger and we take off.  
  
My mind goes blank as we race to the phone booth. I think I hit something along the way, not moving, just something. I park the van widly as we get onto sixth, and we run to Ventura. My watch is flashing 10:09 in big green digits. The street is empty, I notice something in the red phone booth.   
  
"I do hope that is not some amputated part of Eberts." Darien comments.  
  
"Let's hope its not a bomb." I say. we walk cautiosouly to the phonebooth.   
  
"I don't hear any ticking." He says as we get to the door.  
  
"Maybe you can only hear it from the inside." I suggest.  
  
"Why don't you go in and find out?" Darien asks.  
  
"Why don't you, my friend?"   
  
"I don't want to die!"  
  
"Neither do I!"  
  
"Let's go in together, then. On the count of three, one, two....two and a half.." I know Darien wants to go in just as much as I do, which is not at all, but this is getting ridculous.  
  
"Three." I tell him, and I peek inside. No ticking. I slid inside. It the words Human and Health Resources written on it in bold, green, block letters. Darien comes in behind me.  
  
"How about you open one side, and I'll open the other." Darien suggests. We begin to work on the package, stupid raven using five rolls of packaging tape. Some of it sticks to our hands, and we have to stop every few seconds to throw the tape from our hands unto the tape pile, we've started on the telephone book.  
  
We get each side open at the same time. Darien quicksilvers his hand, and pulls the item out. "A videocassette?" He asks, as he pulls it out , flicking quicksilver unto the pile of tape.  
  
I shrug, and we head back to the van, and drive back to the agency.   
  
The official gathers, me, Darien, Claire, and Alex into his office to watch the videotape. It begins with a Hitler looking man introducing us to the new game show just imported from Germany. "Die Maus." He gives the smile a cheesy smile, and he walks into a room. Eberts is standing in the room, next to someone, a frightened look on his face.  
"Why hasn't he been strapped to the table yet?" The annoucer growls. That voice it sounds famillar. A little screen with dancing mouses appears on screen, it reads "Wir haben techinical Schwierigkeiten, einen Moment"  
  
"What does that say?" Darien asks.He is munching on a bag of nuts.   
  
"Something about techinical difficulties, " The Keeper replies.  
  
Happy music begins playing, and the screen disappers.   
"Since, I have lost the questions for levels 1 and two of this round, I will start with level three.Here is your first question. What do you know of the agency."  
  
Eberts is now strapped onto the table. He looks confused. "What exact...." he is cut out by his terrifing screen, as the annoucer presses a button. My jaw drops, I hear Darien choking on his nuts, Alex is panicking, muttering why would they do that, Claire is trying hard not to cry, through the hand she has thrown over her eyes. The Official isn't making a sound, I turn to look at him, his face is ashen. The scream echos through the room.   
  
I look back in time to hear next question. "What is your name?"  
  
"I..I don't..." Eberts terrified scream is heard again.  
  
The Official flips the television off. "I can't watch anymore."  
  
"I'm going to be sick, " Alex says and runs out.  
  
I can't think of anything to say. Now, I just wish I hadn't made that joke about if Eberts died if I can have his office. That is definetly not a nice way to die.  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	4. ch. 4

Part 4  
A time to be born, a time to die  
  
I open up my eys, to a world of colors, I can see now. I could skip now. I look around. I am in my room, it had all been a dream. A dream. It had been a dream. I hear voices outside, my housemates, I could almost skip. If they are up that means it saturday, and I have the weekend off this weekend. I can work on my paintings. I start to get up but something is restricting me. Heavy leather straps are keeping me onto the bed. I want to work on my paintings though, I need to finish them before Monday, and why am I being strapped down."Hey, Hey, let me out of here, I need to finish my paintings."  
  
My Housemate, Timothy Jaden, aka Jaden, comes into my room in a strange manner, almost as if he is running backwards. "Doog own rouy rof is tI!Gnimaercs uoy rea yhw? Uoy raeh nac I? " He garbles at me.  
  
"What? Will you speak English?"I cry out, why is he speaking in a foreign language. Jaden had never been one to pick up foreign languages easily, so why was he speaking to him in one.His unruly brown mop of hair falls away from his face. This starles me, what is going on here? I wonder how he did that, I try to watch his face. I can't read anything, just his usual dopey look.  
  
"t'nera uoy! Hsilgne gnikaeps ma I!" He garbles at me, and backward marches out of the room.  
  
Then, it hits me the music in the background is backwards, making Benny Goodman's clarinet sound almost demonic. I glance at my watch. Its running backwards. What in the world? I glance up at my paintings, they are facing the opposite direction, it can't be. That means I am still stuck in that hell hole with Arnaud and I am about to die. That means the chemicals are running through my body, to keep me sleep, and also to keep me blind.  
  
I close my eyes, I am woken up to the sound of swing music. I open my eyes, and I am in a forties cafe. I can see the Effiel Tower in the background, this must be Paris. I notice Nazi flags scattered around the cafe, I myself am dressed in a zoot suit, a feathered fedora on my head. My name is Pierre Ciel, I am a dectective, not really on either side, I can be axis one day, and allie the next. A cigarette girl , who reminds me of Alex, comes up to me, she's not Alex though, I know she's my main squeeze, Antoinette debeau. "Can I get you something, sweet?" She asks with a heavy french accent.  
  
I give her a dashing smile. She giggles. "A brown cow, sugar."   
  
"Certainly, hon." She says and scurries off to go get my chocolate milkshake.  
  
I like it here, it beats being Albert Eberts, I know its just a fictional world, I fabricated, an idea for a novel, I have been throwing around for years. I know I will have to wake up eventually, and face more of that Swiss Miss' torture, but right now I am content.No one is speaking backwards here, I can live in my fictional world. Too bad I know its a dream.  
  
Two german officers, one who reminds me of Hobbes, and the other of Darien come up to talk to me. "Gutentag, Commrade, ve may have a case for your little agency?" The one that looks like Hobbes answers.  
  
"Gutentag, and what exactly does this case involve, chums." I ask cheerfully, as I pull a silver cigarette box from my coat pocket, pull out a cigarette, the one that looks like Darien offers me a light. I accept graciously, and wait for them to answer.  
  
"I am Sgt. Supicious, and this is kommandant Undseen. Ve vould like you to catch this man." He looks around paranoidly, to make sure no one is watching.  
  
Kommandant Unseen pulls out a piece of paper. "This is Die Fohn. Ve vant you to kill him, can you do it?" I keep myself from laughing at his polka style accent, as opposed to Supicious's heavy brogue.  
  
"I do not kill you know that." I tell them, blowing a little of the smoke from my cigarette in the general direction of their faces.  
  
Antoinette comes back with my milkshake. "Merci, Beaucoup." I say, kissing her hand, she giggles, and walks away shyly.  
  
Two people step into the cafe, and a hush falls over. "Not another air raid!" Supicious mumbles, "And vhy do they have to send, Chandler Die Grande Earthquake et Madame de Keepie. "  
  
"Its not an air raid." Undseen says.  
  
"Attention all, an air raid will commence in twenty minutes, as soon as we get the message from the air craft Quicksilver." Chandler Die Grande EarthQuake shouts.  
  
"Get up fool, get up!" Someone shouts in my ear. I open my eyes. I can't see.I blink hard, when is this substance in my eyes, going to wear off. "Get up!" I hear in my ear again, another needle is stabbed into my arm. "You fool, he should have only needed one reviving shot." I hear someone getting smacked in the back of the head.  
  
I try to get up, and someone drags me to my feet. "March!" I try to pick my feet up but my legs won't budge. I am pushed forward. I stumble. Groaning a little, that hurts. Someone catches me, and slaps me hard across the face. "Move, Move!!!!"  
I try to move quickly, it is a slow process though, my whole body is in pain.  
  
I am able to walk for about thirty minutes -or- so of walking, my knees, and back lock out. I am shoved harshly in the back and fall flat on my face in the sand.  
  
(more to come)  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	5. ch.5

Part 5  
Operation G.E.O.  
  
The Official has this new spangled idea, its called Operation G.E.O, which stands for Get Eberts Out. We get to find Eberts friends, and look for any possible leads. The woman has escaped, and as a side note, we get to find her as well.We have been broken up into little scouting teams, me with Alex, and the Keeper with Robert. We are all hoping this will work.  
  
We decide to go check out a little cafe that artists hang out at.It is a small imitation of a Parisian cafe.Red and white checkered table cloths, expensive coffe, you know the works. We sip coffee, after watching that video, there is no way either of us could eat anything for awhile.Alex sits quietly, something aboutthis whole thing is bothering her, and I can't place my finger on it. She seems more concerned for someone then I have seen in a long time, and it is not just because we watched a fellow employee tortured. I know it is a factor in her concern now, but I can't read her. I never really could read her all the time, there is some demon inside of her, that makes her act out of normal, and she can't fight it, and it stops her from showing true feelings, just her tough exterior. I want to try something though.  
  
"Hey, Alex, I am worried about Eberts." I watch her eyes, she doesn't look at me, but stares into her untouched coffee. I don't think she will be much of a conversationlist today.  
  
"I am,too."  
  
An uncomfortable silence settles, we are both to wrapped up in our own thoughts, probably ways we can save Eberts. I listen to the conversations around me, when one catches my attention.  
  
"He wrecked his vehicle, Jaden is really a character! He does know he was kidnapped right?" A british voice says loudly. Could this conversation be any help. I listen harder.  
  
"Oh, course, he does, his father is quite vocal, that his son managed to get kidnapped." Yes, reeled in a prize.  
  
"Do you hear that Al?" I whisper. She nods. She throws on a serious face, and we walk over to the two gentlemen's table. It is so distubing sometimes how she can just hide her emotions. She needs to learn to let them out more, it'll be good for her.  
  
"We are Human and Health Resource Officers. We would like to talk to you." Alex says to them.  
  
"Do you work with Albert?" The non-british one ask. They both remind me of reporters,inconspicous brown hair, and blue eyes, ready to help out when ever not needed, but this time we do need them. I open my mouth to respond but Alex beats me to it.  
  
"Yes, we do. We are trying to figure out where he may have been taken him." Alex says hastily.  
  
"Nice introductions, love."The British one answers. I was going to introduce myself, but I guess Alex thinks she's running the show.She can have her little charade for now.  
  
"I am sorry, we just found out he is being tortured, and we are trying to get him out as quick as we can. I am Alex Monroe, and this is Darien Fawkes. " I nod, and try to shake their hands. Alex blocks me, and the non-british one is going ashen.   
  
"Is he, Is he alright?" He asks. I cut Alex off before she can answer. It is not the time for either of us to shift the truth. She nods, and lets me continue.  
  
I shake my head. "For the short part we can actually watch of the video, he's in a lot of trouble, we really need your help."  
  
"Well, this is his housemate, Benjamin Roberts, and I am Richard Smith, and we will do anything in our power to help."  
  
We talk to them for fifteen minutes, obtaining all the information we could about anyone who may be out to get Eberts. Then, Hobbes pages us. I rush to the nearest payphone, leaving Alex to see if she can get anything else in general about Eberts. I don't know why, maybe personal curiousity, I should point out, it really isn't the time for that. I pick up the black phone. "Hello."  
  
"We have tracked the girl to a place ten minutes away from the post office. We can see Eberts outside, they are whipping him with a hickory stick, The Official is having back up secure the premises, we need to get him out of their."  
  
"We're on it." I say, hanging up the phone, and grab Alex away from Eberts friends.  
  
"What did he say?" Alex quizzes me, with angry eyes, mainly because she knows I will not tell her.  
  
"We don't have time for that!!!" we hop in my car and speed off.  
  
We get their five minutes later. Whipping him with a hickory stick that is harsh. I hope he is not more whacked than Hobbes when he recovers from this. I pray, God will help him keep his sanity, we only need one psycho at the agency.  
  
"We need to wait, till all the back up get here." Hobbes tells us, when we pull up. "They are on their way. One minute away."  
  
"We need to go in there, and save him now." Alex says, and takes off in that direction.  
  
"Alex, wait!!!" Me, Claire, and Hobbes call in unison. We are horrified. Now, is not the time for her to be playing Hero. We need to do this as a team.  
  
I hear a gun shot, a few seconds later, it startles me. Claire drops frightened to the ground. I grab Hobbes's binoculars. "They   
have Alex, and they shot Eberts! "I scream. I watch them drag them both into a black limousine. "They are taking them to a black limo!" Claire stands up and wipes herself off. She frowns. Concern is written all over her face, especially for Eberts who may be dead now. "We have to go after them." I tell them. They nod, and Claire, and Hobbes race for the van, and I for my lincoln. I know we are all praying Alex didn't cost Eberts his life. Praying, he has enough time left, for us to save him.  
  



	6. ch. 6

Part 6   
watching time slip away  
  
Why do I always have to try and be the "big hero?" I am making people sacrifice many things. I damn near made Eberts lose what ever little of his life he was hanging onto. Why did I do that? So, I can find out if he is the one, I've always been searching for. I could say after that video, I wanted to save him because I didn't want to see him get hurt anymore, but it all breaks down to I wanted to make sure he was the one I was searching for, I wanted to see if I could get what I always needed from him. If he could cure my lonely nights. I should have done it for Eberts. I was so selfish, saving him because I needed to see if my supicion about him was correct. Now, he's lying here bleeding in my lap. He has cuts on his back from where they were whipping him, and the wound in his shoulder, from the bullet wound, I earned him. I think I am in love with him, and I can't bear to watch him bleed. But I can't do anything to make it stop, I need to make it stop, he may bleed to death while I am trying to figure out something to do for him. I remember my handkercheif in my pocket, I can not use it to cover any of the slashes on his back, but I can stop the beleeding from his shoulder. Can I do it while the Hitler looking guy isn't looking? Can Eberts wait that long? It doesn't look good, but I am not a doctor. Maybe I should have gone into medical school, then I wouldn't have to always be the hero, and cost people so much. "Why can't you drop that the bitch/'I can do it all without your help' image, Allie! " I scold myself. The Hitler guy turns his attention outside the window.   
  
"We're being followed!!!" He yells at the driver. While he is distracted I tie the handkercheif tightly around Eberts arm. He moans slightly. Hitler turns towards me. "What in the hell are you doing?" He snaps. His voice sounds famillar, as if he is someone I should know, but I can't seem to place it now. My head is starting to ache, and I can't think straight.  
  
"He's bleeding, I was just trying to help!" I cry back, despartely holding back the tears forming in the my head. I wish I could cry now, I should cry now, but I do not want this man to hurt Eberts more if I start, but what if it will help? I bite the inside of my cheek, I will wait for a little while. I may need many tears later.  
  
"Fine! Fine! Try to stop the bleeding Miss Monroe! We had this all scheduled you know! You ruined it, asticote! Now, he will probably die quicker, and you as well. Tu est content pour la mort de Eberts, c'est sur ton mains!"His voice sends cold , unfriendly chills up my spine. He wants to know if I the maggot, am happy Eberts death is on my hands, what's wrong with this man, and how did he know my name.  
  
A motocyclist is heard outside. They pull alongside, Hitler's window, making a swipe across the helmet, and speeding off. Arnaud grumbles something to the driver, and we pull onto a detour road. I watch the light blue helmet, disapper down the other road. The driver shifts a gear up, harshly, causing Eberts to tumble to the floor.  
  
"If you want to save him so much, do not let him fall on the carpet again! I have to clean the stains from the sang on the seat as it is, I do not need to clean any sang off the carpet!" He says, picking him up as if he was a rag doll, and tossing him back onto my lap. Why is he saying the french word for blood, instead of the english, -or- the German? Then, it hits me, Why I should know the voice. Its Arnaud de Fohn. No wonder I feel as if I am sitting in the same limo, as a demon. 


	7. ch. 7

Part 7  
I wish it was Sunday  
  
When we had finished watching as much, -or- more than we in somecases, could stomach of the video. One of the guards, a young twenty something,who would be a yuppie, if he wasn't so darn trigger happy bounces into the room. "The prisoner has .." he tries to comes up with a three syllable word, to stump us.  
  
"What is it, spit it out!" the official demands, glaring at the guard.  
  
"Umm...Thomas helped the prisoner escape." He says and runs out as not to get yelled at anymore. We all know that expression,my friend.  
  
The Official frowns. "Get out of my office for a few minutes, I'll call you all back in here." He'll probably forget about us.  
  
I want to do something, but I don't know what. The building feels like we should be in mourning. Maybe Eberts is already dead. I feel really bad about joking about it before. It seems so ominous now. Why had I even seen it as being funny? I have a very morbid sense of humor sometimes. I do hope Eberts is okay, he'll probably need therapy after what they did to him on the video. I know that was not just staged. I don't think anyone can fake a scream like that. No matter how many years of acting you have had. There was more to the tape, which is the problem, I have seen that little machine, the Hitler dude had, and that little baby has ten settings. They started it out on three. If they didn't bring it all the way to ten, which can kill you in eight seconds, Eberts will probably still need therapy. I don't think the poor guy can really be sane for long. I am not saying, I don't think he is strong, I am sure somewhere down inside, he is strong, but I have heard stories of geniuses breaking down by that thing. That little device is illegal in the United States.  
  
Darien and I wander the halls, not really in the mood to do anything. I spot Alex at the waterfountain, getting a long drink. She finishes and looks up at us.  
  
"Hey, guys." she says softly. Her tone almost reminds me of how low Eberts talks sometimes.  
  
"Hey, how you feeling?" Darien asks, before I can say anything.  
  
"I am worried about Eberts."   
  
"I think we all are." I tell her. She looks like she is going to say something else, but changes her mind, gives a simple nod, and walks off.   
  
A guard approaches us and tells us "We are wanted in the official's office." We follow him, and sit down in the chairs in front of his desk. Alex and Claire come in shortly after. Claire postions herself in the chair by Darien, and Alex leans in the doorway.  
  
"Okay, I am about to brief you on operation G.E.O., formally operation G.E.M.S. but I couldn't think of a good meaning for that, to start off this requires two teams of two, and as much reniforcement as possible. The two teams will be Hobbes and The Keeper, and Fawkes and Monroe. Is everyone clear so far?" The Official asks.  
  
I raise my hand, "What does G.E.O. stand for?"   
  
"I was getting to that, It means Get Eberts Out. You will try and find any sources you can about Eberts, and as a side note look for the woman who made the phone call. I would give you more, but I really can't think of anymore. I know this is vague, but we need to save Eberts from these people. I have made you a tenative list of possible places.These may not even be right, I hope they lead you somewhere though. You are dismissed." He says. We can note the sadness in his voice. He hands me and Darien a sheet of paper each. We all walk into the hall.  
  
Claire reads the list over my shoulder.I move it so she doesn't have to. She moves accordingly.   
  
"Why don't me and Alex take one side of town, and you take the other?" Darien asks.   
  
"Okay." I say with a nod. The official had been nice enough to divide the short list into parts of town.  
  
"We'll take the part with the art gallery, if you don't mind." Claire tells Darien.  
  
Alex nods, and we separate walking to our respectible vehicles.  
  
"Can we take my car, Hobbes?" Claire asks. "The van is a little conspicous."  
  
"Can I drive?" I counter.  
  
"I am not really in much of a mood to drive, anyway." She remarks. I give her a nod, and we get in the car and drive off.  
  
We are silent on the ride, there must be a million thoughts running through my head, as well as probably Claire's, we just do not know where to start, we'll I don't.  
  
As we drive into the art district, we spot a blue british car, I forget what brand it is, with an o so famillar driver.  
  
Claire looks at me, to make sure I see it, I nod, as if to say "I saw it. " She nods back as if to say, "Onward to the chase."   
  
I begin to follow her, trying to make it not so obvious. We are still silence. The woman seems to know we are following her. She tries to turn but she can not lose, Bobby Hobbes my friends. We watch her drive to a small compound. We wait outside of it. I call the official, he tells me to page Darien then wait for the reinforcements before entering.Claire pages Darien using my cell phone, and hands me her binoculars and I look through them. I spot Eberts, he is wearing only his boxer shirts, his front side is bright red, like he's had a terrible sunburn, I know its not though, The tie him to a post outside, his back facing towards them. I watch as they pick up a hickory stick laying near by, I winch as I see the first strike. I toss the binoculars back to Claire. My cell phone rings. I pick it up.  
  
"Hello." I hear Darien say on the other side. I breath a sigh of relief  
  
"We have tracked the girl to a place ten minutes away from the post office. We can see Eberts outside, they are whipping him with a hickory stick, The Official is having back up secure the premises, we need to get him out of their."I say quickly, it is not the time for small talk. I hang up the cell phone. I look over at Claire she has dropped the binoculars.   
  
I give her a nod towards the door, she nods back slowly, and we get out of the car. I take the binoclaurs from her, she has seen enough. She gives them up gratefully, and I scan the perimeter. I get a page the backup is only one minute away.Alex and Darien pull up as I turn it off.  
  
"We need to wait, till all the back up get here." I tell them, as I see them get out. "They are on their way. One minute away."  
  
"We need to go and save him now!" Alex calls, and she begins to run to the compound.  
  
"Alex, wait!!!!" we call after her. A few seconds later, a bang. We are horrified by this, Claire drops to the ground, and Darien grabs the binoculars.  
  
"They have Alex and they shot Eberts!" He screams."They are taking them to a black limo."  
  
I help Claire up, and we race back to her car. I try to pull out but a van that looks very much like mine is sitting behind her car, I surge the car forward, and pull out and away we go.  
  
She calls The Official to tell him what happen as I drive. We spot the black limo and begin following. "Bang!!!" comes from the back.  
  
"What was that?" Claire asks, covering the phone up. I turn the car off.  
  
A motorcyclist drives by, replacing the gun used to blow out the left rear tire, back in their motorcycle jacket.  
  
"Damn it!!" I say. "I'll go fix." I say, as I get out I see Darien approaching in his blue lincoln. He pulls over. "Hop in!!" he calls.  
  
I motion for Claire, and she grabs her cell phone, and car keys, and we hop into Darien's car, praying we make it on time.  
  
  
  
  



	8. ch.8

Part 8  
Bodies strewn across the dead end street  
  
What am I running a daycare now? Now I must put up with Monroe, and Eberts now. Eberts was okay to deal with, but Monroe was not part of the plan, now Eberts may die before scheduled. Seriously, I want him to be in therapy for a long time, (its always fun to put people in therapy, its hard to send terrorists the bills,)but now he may die before, he goes mental. All because she had to be the hero, and save Eberts.I wanted him in therapy, I am so angry, and I tend to beat people recklessly when I am angry. There's an idea. At least Lucrzia blew out a tire on Claire's car. Darien is still trying to follow me in his broken down blue buick, but he's in for a suprise.I laugh. Monroe jumps, she has been holding unto Eberts like I told her to after she drops him.I laugh harder and watch her reaction. She winces again, and tries to back away.I give her an evil smile, and reach into the drink compartment, and pulls out a beautiful AK-47. "Now it's time for a little fun. And you get to watch. "  
  
I motion to the driver,a burly bald man from to pull across the whole road, and make sure Miss Monroe can see.We pull across the road, and stop completely. My driver drags her out, and sets her squirming on the roof. I smile.It is always good to hire former body guards as Chaffeurs. I open my window, and I begin shooting at the approaching blue buick. They pull to a grinding halt five hundred feet away, and Claire, Darien, and Hobbes pull out their guns and begin shooting at me. I can hear Miss Monroe screaming to be let go of the whole time. Her voice is shrill.They are trying to cower behind the doors. I aim right at the hood, it flies up in the air emblazed. They run like little chickens away from the car. Hobbes realizes he has run the opposite direction as the other two and tries to run across the street to them. The Hood lands ten feet in front of him, and he is out of almost a thousand feet away from the car. I shoot at the gas tank, and watch the car explode into flame. A beautiful exotic fireball!I can feel the beautiful heat. I smile, signal my driver. He pulls Miss Monroe off the roof, and almost throws her on the mouse's head, he slams the door, hard on her side. "Don't kill my mouse!!" I scream at her, slamming my car door. She backs against the door.  
  
She pulls the mouse back into her lap.  
  
"Die you enjoy that little show, Miss Monroe?It was just for you!"  
  
She shakes her head. I laugh again. It is fun watching her in fear. I am suprised, she hasn't tried to struggle, and become the hero. Then it hits me, she is in love with the mouse, she doesn't want me to hurt him anymore. That's why she is frightened not for herself, but because I can kill the mouse with one wave of my hand. I laugh all the way to the new HQ, I need to tell Lucrezia that one, she will find it amusing as well.  
  
  
  
  



	9. ch. 9

Part 9 So, who wants to explain that to the Fat Man  
  
I stare at the rubble that was my car. "Well, that was fun."I tell them sarcastically, when the fire burns its self out, and Bobby has decided to join us on this side of the street.  
  
"You know that guy reminds me of someone." Bobby says.  
  
"Me, too, the freaking toothfairy." I tell him. Damn it, I liked that car.  
  
"No, I think someone else   
besides the Raven is behind this. I seriously do not think The Raven would   
kidnap someone like that little brown noser, Charlie Brown, and he took Alex   
with him, so maybe he wants something from the agency. But I haven't decided if   
he works for Chysallis -or- De Fohn. " Hobbes says.  
  
A black Buick pulls along side of us on the grass before, I can make another wise crack remark to Hobbes's remark.."What did you do now?" The Official asks rolling down his window.   
  
"It wasn't us, it was the Raven," I tell him.  
  
"Get in, I have backup, following, we have to find them." Claire and I climb in the backseat, leaving Bobby to sit next to the Official. "See that lab top back there." The official says when we are all in, with doors shut.  
  
"Yeah, what about it?" I ask.  
  
He pushes a button and a table comes down." Place the labtop, on the table, and see what you ca  
find. You guys did get the license plate of the limo, -or- the motorcycle   
right?" I wonder how he knew about it, maybe we will learn how he gets his   
information one day.  
  
"I got it Chief," Bobby says, he searches through his   
pockets. He puts on a little oops expression, then decides to play it cool. "I   
left it in the seat of the car." He says.  
  
"You what!!!!! Robert I should fire you for that, you never Leave VALUBLE infomation lying around, especially in possible DANGER SITUATIONS!!DO YOU FOLLOW ME?" The Official screams at the top of his lungs. Claire and I cover our ears. Does he ever know not to scream in   
tight spaces, I am suprised he hasn't had a heart attack with how much he   
screams.How can Eberts stand directly behind him, he must have earplugs.  
  
"Yes, sir, sorry sir, I'll have to remember that next time."  
  
"YOU BETTER.! " The official quiets his voice, I hope he realized this was a confinded space. "Did you remember any of it, -or- did you just write it down."  
  
"I remember the motorcycle's and partial on the limo." I tell him.   
  
"Well, get on it, Eberts told me that computer has linked up to the DMV and the police department, as well as any other government agency you may need." He tells us.  
  
"Where does the computer hook up at?" Claire asks.   
  
"A little hole under the table. Eberts had it all worked out, with own generator, and everything, to bad we have to use it to help find him."He says.  
  
"Found it." Claire said, and plugs in the computer.   
  
The Official starts the car, and we turn the computer on. The desktop appears almost   
instantly, and all the shortcuts we need are sitting for us. "Did you get the   
mouse out?" The Official asks.  
  
"Where is it?" Claire asks, as I spot a small compartment on the right side of the car. I push a little black button and a smaller table pulls out, complete with mouse, and a mouse pad of mice dancing that reads, 'when the cat is away the mouse will play.'The Official is about to   
tell us about the location, but I cut him off. "Got it."   
  
Hobbes looks back, "So, you said Eberts designed that."   
  
The Official nods, "He rewired the whole car, he did it a pretty good job, I'd say the closer thing you will ever see till a real James Bond car, revolving plates and everything. No weapons though, this is a survelliance vehicle."   
  
Claire uses the mouse to click on the little picture of a vw bug, that has "DMV" written under it. It makes a beeping noise. Claire is suprised by it, and it makes her laugh. "That's cute." She murmurs. The Dmv listing comes up immediatly.   
  
"So, this is why we never get a raise, so Eberts can make things that beep." Robert says, leaning the seat to look. The Official pushes him back in a sitting postion.  
  
"No, its not, and buckle your seat, you're going to cause us to have a wreck." He says.  
  
I type in the motorcycle plate first. It appears on the screen almost as soon as I hit enter. "Johanna Stark!" Claire and I say in unison. Is this some kind of joke?   
  
"Stark, What's the address?" I glance down at it, Its Eberts address.It must be some joke   
  
"I think this may be some kind of mistake, its Eberts address."   
  
"So, Eberts, works for Stark the whole time!" Hobbes muses.   
  
"That can't be right, I have a feeling it may not be Stark, but who ever it is, is leading us in circles?" The Official says. "We need to find a way to break the circle, check out what you   
can about Ms. Stark, see where her trail leads."   
  
"We're on it." I say, and we search through the police files for Johanna Stark, we come upon a Johanna Stark age fifty seven before she was violently killed in a home break in. Her son Bedford Stark thirty seven, had lived with her, he was fighting for custody of the motorcycle, after her death, but Johanna had let a friend borrow it the day before she died.  
A note was attached 'see Sister Mavern File'. We look up the File, no information is listed but a small note written in tiny letters. "You are cold, looking in the wrong place,and just to give you guys a hint, since you are so stupid, this has nothing to do with Chrysallis,-or- De Fohn either. -The Raven."   
  
Claire frowns. "How did they know we would check here?" She murmurs.   
  
I shake my head.   
  
"What did you find?" The Official asks.   
  
I read him the note.  
  
"Try looking through the shortcut called Games, Their Eberts E-Files, he has a file listed for all potentinal enemies there, they are only accesible through his computer at home, and this one. Maybe we can find some leads, unless it really is crysallis -or- De Fohn." The Offical says.   
  
We go back to the desktop, and click on the game shortcut, of a magic eight ball. It blinks.   
"password? What is the password?" It asks in a metallic voice.  
  
"Default." The Official says.  
  
"Default? Default what?" The metalic voice asks.   
  
"Default picture of Monet's water lillies." The Official answers.  
  
"Bingo, welcome to the E-Files." A recorded voice of Eberts answers.  
  
Hobbes chuckles. "Default picture of Monet's water lillies."   
  
"Now, departing from the E-files." Ebert's recorded voice says again.  
  
We hear the official slap Hobbes. "You..You.."  
  
"Shut up Hobbes, click on it again."  
  
Claire clicks on the eight ball again.  
  
"Password? What's the password?" the metallic voice says again.  
  
  



	10. ch. 10

Part 10  
One is the Loneliest Number  
  
Eberts sleeps soundly in my arms, as we go on this hell ride.He is oblivous to the world around him. I want him to wake up, but I don't. I want to see his blue eyes, but I don't want him to know what is going on. He'll probably be in much pain when he wakes up. Arnaud has been preoccupied with his own sinister thoughts, since he finished his little tirade with his AK-47. I can't even imagine what he has planned for us. I don't want him to hurt Eberts anymore, but I have a feeling he will.This feels like a horrible dream, and I want to tell my self, Alex, wake up, but I know it won't work, since it isn't a dream. It must be worst for Eberts, I can't imagine what that must of felt like. The electrocution, then the whipping, then being shot. I haven't even been hurt yet, and yet I am scared out of my mind.  
  
I watch Arnaud out of the corner of my eye, as I gaze down upon Eberts. He stirs slightly, as he sleep, but he is so still, so perfectly silent, it is almost if I can hear the bells ringing to announce his funeral.Though I have a feeling his funereal may be very small. I can see him now in the comfy casket, with blue lining.The small boquets of lilies, and white mums, the heavly perfumed aunts crying over him, probably Jasmine.The Official tears running down his checks. Bobby saying "I know he shouldn't have been at the agency, he didn't fit in. Claire sobbing next to the Official in her little white handkercheif. Fawkes slapping Hobbes in the back of his head for his comments. Wait, what am I talking about, I am being Morbid. That is one place I do not want to attend in a long while. I do not want to be seen hovering over his grave crying my eyes out. That is one image of Alexandra Monroe, the agency does not need to see, at least not right now. I think I will keep them with the impression I am one bad Mama for awhile, it suits my purpose and helps me keep my true self locked away, until I feel I am not to vulnerable to show it.It is not time to remove my well used mask, just yet.  
  
Eberts opens his eyes.He gazes up at me like he can't see me. He looks in the direction of Arnaud, and around the limo, absentmindly, almost as if he was blind.He begins to laugh, maddly.  
  
"Not that again." Arnaud grumbles.  
  
Eberts continues to laugh for a bit more, then goes back to sleep. I wonder what they've done to him. Arnaud looks angry like he did not have that in mind.He scowls at Eberts. "Make sure he does not do that again!" He snaps. He murmurs something about un souris bete under his breath.  
  
I can't imagine cracking up like that. Poor baby, what a great strain it must have been on his. He's going to need more help then Robert. I can see how anyone would crack under that pressure though. But that means he probably will never be the same again, does that mean I have lost the man of my dreams before I could even confirm it.Have I been cheated again of happiness?That isn't right. I thought it couldn't be possible after my son was taken away, and then after I found out he wasn't really my son. What am I a pawn to play to wreck with my emotions.  
  
I continue to watch Eberts the rest of the way, distraut on my cruel destiny. He doesn't wake up again, but he looks like an angel as he sleeps. When I look up from his face, I realize we have stopped and have pulled into a large white building.  
  
  
  
  



	11. ch. 11

Part 11  
Do you want to die?  
  
We up to the new HQ, Lucrezia's motorcycle is already here, bien, bien. Adolf, helps me drag the two prisoners out. We drag them to the wooden door.Adolf watches them, as I type in my security code. 3922. It stands for DWBB, a little joke from a book I once read in 1984, actually I think that was the title of it, it was by the englishman George Orwell, the letters are intitals for a phrase in the book. Lucrezia meets me as I enter the hallway, she is barefoot, and in a white dress.She has another job for someone else."Why didn't you just shoot Monroe, and get it over with?" She asks me, as Adolf brings the prisoners in the hallway, and closes the door behind him with his heavy leg.  
  
"I appriciate your help in this matter, Lucrezia, but I do know you have an assignment to seduce and assassinate some politician. So, why don't you leave me to my business." I arch an eyebrow. I am sure I look very frightening in my hitler costume. I glare at her. She glares back, and slips on a pair of burkenstocks, near her on the carpet.  
  
"This is an equal partnership, remember that, you are not stronger than I , I could take away your pseudo thrown if the time comes. It is my business, and I think you are making a mistake. You have been slipping much since you have become completely invisible, maybe you are experiencing some of that madness you placed into the other gland. This little paroxysm of terror you would like to reign on them, is doing nothing to help in what I thought was an important quest to fix the gland, and to kill Fawkes."  
  
I laugh. "I am not slipping, and you know nothing about this, Lu-cre-zia, this has everything to do with my quest, with this little paroxysm as you call it, it shows I am in control of the Agency. You obviously never learn, -or- have forgotten dear about well placed terror." I give her a grin.She glares, and walks past me to her car. She will learn one day, I am far superior than her, and she is not my equal, if she keeps having these little tantrums of power. Everything justifies the mean, and nothing has to, if I choose. She seems to just vent all her emotions towards me, I have told her repeatedly, that it helps to vent them at your victims, but she has to be Miss. Ice Queen. She knows I do not put up with weak links in my organization, and if she contines with this problem of holding in her emotions, she will either implode, -or- I will kill her.  
  
Adolf follows me as to a holding cell. I bring Miss. Monroe closer to me, and lean her hard against the padded walls. She tries to struggle, I put her into a long kiss, to distract her,she tries to bite my lip, but I am overpowering her, and I shakle her wrists into the manacles hanging harmlessly behind her.I pull myself off her and bend down to put the fetters around her ankles.  
  
Adolf hands me the asleep Eberts. I bulk as he throws him carelessly into my arms. "Omph, Watch it you fool!" I snap at him, hiding the pain in my voice.My chest may hurt for days now.I put Eberts on a bed in the center of the room, and put handcuffs and ankle cuffs on him. We leave the room, and I send two newly acquired guards to watch them.   
  
I could ravage Miss Monroe, right now, while she is so weak and vulernable, to teach her a lesson.But if I do that, I will wait for a better time. When women are weak and vulnerable, they tend to begin visions of this crap they call revenge. Most women have no idea the full meaning of revenge. I can easily seduce her, and not have to worry about her petty little schemes, but right now, I need a martini.  



	12. ch. 12

Part 12  
The Answer, My Friend, is blowing in the wind.  
  
This is just weird, I suspect the Official has finally flipped his lid, though I do think Eberts is the one who helps him come up with his plans, they aren't ever really too complicated, but this is too simple, almost so simple its idiotic. He wants us to just walk into the white building where we have traced the owner of the limousine. To have Darien quicksilver us, and just walk in. Then we are to dequicksilver,this is the part that worries me next, then we split up in three different directions and sweep the building for Alex and Eberts. He obviously threw the plan together in a few seconds, basically like this whole "Operation G.E.O." has been going the whole time."Hey, Chief, have you thought about the serious risks behind this plan?"   
  
He gives me a well used cold stare, though it looks somewhat foreign on his face today. "Oh, course, there are major risks, but we really don't have time to sit here and contemplate a plan with no serious risks. We have an injured agent in there, who could possibly be knocking on death's door, because another agent had to play hero. Who has possibly gotten herself injured as well. I may seem like it sometimes, but I will never leave an injured man. You do have backup, and they will hurry in at any sign of trouble you report. I know it may seem like this is a kamikaze mission, but I do not believe in those as our new agent Miss Monroe does. I would not want to risk that. It is hard for injured agents to carry out injured agents, and dead one are mostly certainly not useful. So, I need you to trust me, and do as I ask?" I sense the tinge of anger in his voice, as well as the bitter swordedge of sadness,he is really concerned about Eberts, though I think right now, he really isn't too worried about Monroe.I know why though, she had to always be the hero, she has obviously never read one of the comic books, where Batman, -or- Superman lose their heads, decide it is best to rush in and save the day, instead of getting help, and they get caught in this parallis trap, where they almost die, and have to be rescued by Robin -or- Jimmy Olsen, -or- sometimes the villian's assistant.I think we all knew there was a risk to this job, we would all just have to hold our heads high, our weapons ablazed, our theme music playing, and risk it to free those two agents, and like Mighty Mouse at the end we would be rewarded with our cheese, preferably a raise.   
  
He hands us all small communication devices. "We'll bring them out alive, don't worry, sir." Darien says to reassure all of us, especially himself. We are to wait to the official's count of fifty so we can make sure the perimeter is covered completely. Now was not the time to make some amateur mistake. Lives were on the line. It seems like the longest count in the history of man kind, we were all ready to spring from the car at the count of five. We are nervous, and ansty, but most of all we are ready for battle.   
  
At the count of forty nine, we can see from our heavily concealled location amongst the trees, a silver Astin Martin pull out from the trees. "Forty nine, Fifty." The official says quickly. Before we hop out, and begin towards the complex. he says, "I'm going to trail the car, I will try to be back before you get out of there." We nod, and head towards the complex.  
  
Darien quicksilvers us, and my body almost turns numb as the cool substance flows on my body. How can he stand that so much? We cautisouly walk to the door, and we are faced with an electronic keypad. "Who gets to guess the code?" I ask.  
  
"I do," Darien says with a smile, and pulls something out of his pocket that looks like a pick. The pick gives off this strange silver tint. He disables some of the silver wires, and we wait for an alarm. None sounds, well not one we can hear. We slips inside, and the quicksilver falls to the floor. We come to a corridor that splits three ways, Darien takes the right way, Claire the middle way, and I get stuck with the left way. I am glad the floor is carpeted so my leather shoes, do not make clinking noises on the floor. I stay close against the wall, as I walk. I only get about twenty feet down when I before I start hearing this gurgling noise and this evil laughter. I come to a room, the door wide open. I can't believe it. Its the most shocking thing, I've ever seen, -or- my name isn't Bobby Hobbes.  
  



	13. ch. 13

Part 13  
Out of the doorway the bullets fly, repeating the sound of the beat  
  
I can't believe that big lug, kissed me. He touches me with that gross, slimy synthethic skin, I don't think I will be able to get the traces of that off of my lips. I am glad it was only a kiss, that astute....weasal. Uhhhh. I am glad he didn't try anything else, because though I am chained to the wall, I will not feel bad, biting his neck, and watching him bleed to death on the floor.I am finding it hard to believe Darien hasn't killed him already. Argh, how much he makes my skin crawl. I have never been so repulsed by anyone, though sometimes the people I work with come close. I need to figure out a way out of the chains, they are cutting off my circulation. I need to get free, then help Eberts out of his bindings, he needs to be taken to the hospital and immediatly.  
  
I look over at him on the bed, he seems so in peace, as if he were an angel in one of those reinnasance paintings. He opens his eyes slowly, for the first time I notice the white film covering his heavenly blue eyes.I wonder what they have done to him.  
  
"Who is here with me?" He asks.  
  
"Monroe." I wonder if I sound too formal.  
  
"So, your the one who got me shot, Alex, I should have figured it was you, you always have to be the hero."  
  
His words strike me harshly. "I didn't mean to get you shot, I am sorry, Eberts."  
  
He mumbles something under his breath. I strain to hear him. I am about to ask him what he said but he says. "I am sure you are sorry. I have a plan to get us out, I know how much you like to be the hero, but we do not have time for that game, you need to forget your incharge skills, and use your CTS skills, most specifically the Seduction part of that. I do not need to get shot again, so you must do exactly as I tell you."  
  
What is he up to? He can't be in any condition to do anything at all to help. He is almost dead.I remember his evil laughing in the car, he's flipped his lip. How crazy is he now? Am I in here with someone more unhinged than Arnaud. I am thankful he is chained up. Should I be though? Maybe I am misjudging him. Maybe he is in his right mind, but I do not see how anyone who has gone through what he has in one day could. I stare at him, wondering if he could see me. But is that film on his eyes really making him blind, can he see my terror. I try to put on a determined face. He is staring at the ceiling though, and not even at me. He looks so lonely lying there, but now I am seeing him as frightening. Maybe he has history of psychological problems in his past. I never really read his personal file that much, I figured he was just a quiet little mouse, and I really didn't need to worry about him.   
  
"Alex?" He says patiently. How can he have patients, even after this, it is unnerving me. He has been tortured yet he is being calm, and patient now. Yet, nothing much has happened to me yet, Maybe it is the madness. There is no humanly way he can be so calm.   
  
"I don't think your in any sort of postion to take charge, Eberts, you almost died..."  
  
" I would not have died from the electricty -or- the hickory stick, that is not how Arnaud wants it, he is too insane to just kill someone simply, unless he is pressed for time. The only thing I almost died from was the gun shot wound, for now. SO, are you going to help me -or- not?" He asks, still calm.  
  
"But what are you going to do?"   
  
"I need you to seduce the guards to come in here, but first tell me where the door is." I watch as appears to fall off the bed. He stands up wearily.  
  
"Go to your right ten paces, and then go straight." I tell him.  
  
He does as I tell him. He touches the door, finds the opening, and then moves to the wall next to it.He gives me a nod.  
  
"Guards, Hey Guardies." I call in a silky voice. I hear a key rattling and the door opens. Eberts hits one upside the head with his handcuffs, and he falls to the floor. The other tries to get away but Eberts latches on to him, and begins to choke the guard with the chains connecting the cuffs. He begins his evil laughter again. The guard starts making a gaging sound I could throw up.  
  
Robert Hobbes rushes into the doorway. "Drop him, Eberts!" he shouts holding his gun.  
  
Eberts stops laughing, nods, and his little yes sir smile comes onto his face. He seems almost back to normal.  
  
  
  
  



	14. ch. 14

Part 14  
The Mighty eBees  
  
I walk down the right corridor, the blue carpet squishy against my leather boots.The whole time I am listening patiently for alarms going off. I am able to move through the hall quickly, and unnoticable. I pull out a can of mace, that I keep handy sometimes, and spray in front of me every once in a while to make sure none of those little red lasers are protecting the hall.Just an old habit.If I went quicksilver, I probably could see them. I stop at one of the entrances to a curve in the hallway, and lead against the wall. I am spotted though, and a man dressed in black mugging outfit, comes running towards me gun cocked, and ready. I bet him to it though, by going invisible.  
  
"Huh, where, he go? Must be another ghost." The guard says, and starts to walk away, but I tackle him, and remove his weapon. I look down at my not so innocent snake tattoo, only two portions are a different shade of silver than the rest, and I know for a fact, being how its not Monday, and its been two days since I got my shot, they are not red. I hear a beeping noise. Aw Crap, I set off an alarm. I realize it coming from my pants pocket, when it begins to talk." Fawkes, Keepie, I found them." I pull the black triangle ,that I had stuffed there earlier,out of my pocket. "On my way." I hurry toward the corridor, he had taken. I bump into Claire at the entrance of the three corridors."Sorry, keepie, "  
  
"Its okay. " We rush down the left corridor.We see Bobby almost a hundred feet down the corridor, we race to him.   
  
"You have nothing, no picks, -or- anything?" Eberts says quietly, he is struggling to remove some handcuffs. As we approach, Claire and I keep our eyes of his bruised body, he is only wearing a pair of blue stripped boxers, and many of his wounds are visual.  
  
"No, I don't Eberts, you can wait a little while." Hobbes looks and see us, he puts away the gun he had had pointed at Eberts. "Fawkes might."  
  
"I do." I say, and look for one in my pocket."What's with you pointing the gun at Eberts." I whisper to him. Hobbes doesn't answer.  
  
"No, need got them now." He says dropping the handcuffs to the floor.  
  
"How did you do that?" Hobbes asks.  
  
"An old trick I learned from a contoursinist. I will need the pick for the anklecuffs, and it will be handy to free Monroe." He says.  
  
"Really?" Hobbes asks.  
  
Eberts shakes his head, and mumbles something about Hobbes being an idiot. I almost laugh.  
  
I notice a thin film over his eyes, as I find one of the picks in my small case, and remove it. I hand it to him. "Here you go." I say, putting my palm, with the pick out to him. He reaches blindly for my hand.   
  
"That torture left you really uncoordinated." Hobbes says. "His hand is right where you can easily reach." He is not looking Eberts directly in the eyes. I don't think he sees the filmy stuff over them.  
  
Eberts finds my hand, and he carefully searches my palm for the pick. He mumbles something to Bobby through clinched teeth. He makes sure to weave around the unconconcious guards.After he picks up the pick delicately, bends down quickly,he moves his ankle a little, follows the metallic jingle, and unhooks his anklecuffs. He stands stiffly.   
  
"Did they blind you before -or- after the torture, Eberts?" Claire asks concernly, watching his movements.   
  
"Before." He begins to walk farther into the room. "Hey Monroe?" He calls.   
  
"What?"  
  
"Nevermind." He says and walks towards her. She tries to shrink into the wall for a minute. "I don't really have to free you, you know." He whispers to her. She says something back to him, I can't make out. He unhooks the manacles, and gives her the pick. He backs away from her.   
  
"He's blind, I didn't notice, they blinded him." Hobbes says.  
  
"Well, you were holding a gun to him when we walked in, I don't think you would still have the gun on those guards down there." I answer.  
  
"When I came in, he was choking one of them with the chains on his handcuffs. " He says sounding serious.  
  
I laugh. "Eberts, come on, I don't think so."  
  
Claire frowns, "Now, is not the time for jokes, Hobbes."  
  
"He's not joking." Alex says, free now, walking towards us.   
  
Eberts mumbles something. Then says quietly, "Can we go now, I would really like to put some clothes on, I don't like running around in my boxers."   
  
"Do you have spare clothes at the office?" Alex asks.  
  
Eberts laughs. "Are we going back there?" He arches an eyebrow. It suprises me, it is so out of place for Eberts.  
  
"We need to get you to Lab 1, you are in need of medical treatment." Claire tells him.  
  
"Why there just gashes and burns, they will heal on their own." he snaps back. I wonder if he has decided to become Cocky after he became blind, -or- after the torture.  
  
"Some look third degree, they will not heal on their own, you may need skin grafts."   
  
He starts to laugh. It sounds evil and mechanical. A series of alarms begins to sound.  
  
Claire pulls out her gun. "I'm sorry, Eberts, we need to bring you in." She says, and shoots a plastic dart into his neck. He starts to fall, and Alex catches him. I go over to her, and take him from her.   
  
We rush out of the complex as fast as we can. Eberts is heavy, and drags me down a little. We get outside, and two cars are waiting for us, one the Official in his buick, and Hobbes van. Hobbes races for the van, and The Official tells me to bring Eberts here, and for Claire to get in, and for Hobbes to take me, and Alex as fast as possible in the van, back to the Agency.  
  
We nod, and obey his orders. We pull off in our respectied vehicles, as men in black suits come running out of the building after us.Becoming a swarm of cars behind us, as we race away. They begin shooting, and Bobby races the van up to seventy five. A million thoughts are running through my head, and it doesn't hit me till we arrive safely at the Agency to ask Alex. "Are you alright?" She nods, and we head into the agency, giving me a tiny smile. "We need to worry about, Eberts, now, and not me."  



	15. ch. 15

Part 15  
I am surrounded by Morons.  
  
I toss the martini and glass at the guard.He shrieks back as the salt from the rim, go into his eyes. "Damn, I can't even get something to drink, and you foul up. One minute at the most, one minute! How stupid are you people..." I stop myself before I say the Lord's name in vain, I am not a complete devout religious person, that is so hard in my profession, but I do make sure to keep some of the commandments.   
  
"I'm sorry sir, I wasn't....."  
  
"I don't care, I left you in charge, I told you to buzz me before something major happened. You sat watching on the damn moniters, as three people broke in, and the prisoners escape. What in the world were you doing in the monitor room, the whole time this way going down, laugh, I hope you did, because that is the last laugh you will ever have!" I pull a gun out from behind the counter and pop a few caps in his throat, he gurgles, and falls to the floor. I kick him hard in the groin. "Imbecile! You know I have no tolerance for weak personal." I kick him again, and grab him up by his shoulders, I begin pounding his head on a bar stool. He gurgles the whole time I pound his head. I have killed men so much, I am completely without feeling as I do this. A few seconds later, I feel his heart stop. I toss him to the ground, and throw a chair on top of him. I pick up my walkie talkie and call one of my men, as I wipe his blood off of my hands with a towel from the bar.  
  
"We were on pursuit of them but we lost them, sir."  
  
"You lost them."  
  
"Yes, sir, we are really sorry sir."  
  
"Well, here is someword of advice. You better have a good report, -or- go into hiding, -or- better yet suicide. Because if I see you every again near me, you will die, and it will be slow and painful."   
  
He starts to stammer something, but I end the transmission.  
  
"What the hell is wrong with you people!!!! I pick you because you are the best, and you screw up!!!" I yell at the corpse. I pick up the gun, I had strewn on the counter, and shot him a few more times. His body convulses as the bullets hit him. It calms me a little, but I still need a strong drink. I am not in the mood for a Martini anymore, he made me break my glass. I need something stronger. I see a bottle from a recent trip to Scotland. There we are, I grab the Scotch and begin walking through the complex. Lucrezia should be back soon. I almost had them, I almost had a way to control the agency. I take off the Hitler suit, I'll have to make another. I walk to the control room to review the escape.I review the tape. Something about it makes me smile, maybe my plan won't be foiled, something I can use to my advantage. I should have seen it in the laughter, I was too disturbed by it then. I made Eberts a warped individual, I can easily turn him to my side, with some brain control. I would almost skip, but I don't want to lose a precious drop of this rich medicine. I can not wait till Lucrezia gets back.  
  
  
  



	16. ch. 16

Part 16  
When the men on the chessboard,get up and tell you where to go  
"Freaking mice, stop with the icepicks!" I call, as I open my eyes. I find myself in Basement five, Lab 101. They didn't even bloody asked me if I wanted medical treatment.  
"What was that, Eberts, sweetheart?" Claire asks turning to me concerned.  
"I said that outloud?" Bloody hell, I probably did, they better not freaking look me up in that padded room. I will not go in that padded room. They probably think I have lost my marbles now, and that I need their sympathy. FOOLS!! I don't want pity, I want them to really be concerned for me. I do not want them to just be concerned when I am hurt.  
"Yes, you said, that out loud, Eberts. What did you mean when you told the mice to stop with their icepicks?" She walks towards me, from the computer she had been working on.  
"Its just something, you wouldn't understand." Mental bet : Five bucks she is going to suspect I have a headache, and try and offer me asprin.  
"Do you have a headache? I can give you some as...." she stops herself, " a candy bar."  
I wonder how I am going to pay myself. I know when I get out I'll buy that little fuzzy dice thing, I have been wanting to put into Jaden's beatup toyota. He hates funny dice.I am glad at least she read my medical file, while I was asleep. "Can you get me something to drink, too?" I ask.  
"Sure, I'll be right back.Don't move." She departs.  
Haha. Don't move.I need to get out of here, I need to be free, I need some alcohol. I know they will not give it to me here. Maybe not some alcohol, but a giant bag of hershey kisses. I pull my IV out. I start to get out of the bed, then I notice my attire. Bloody hell, doesn't anyone know about decency. Arnaud stripped me to my boxers, and now, the agency has me garmented in a stupid hospital gown. Where did they put my boxers, they stripped me of them, obviously to treat my thigh with the foul smelling chemical I can smell on most of my burns.They didn't even bloody tie this thing correctly. My hands works furiously to tie it stronger, and tighter. It hurts my back a little, but I need to get out. To go to my car, take a shower, and get some sleep. I get up, I really wish I had some clothes on, -or- at least some pants, this will have to do. I start for the door, and Robert Hobbes, and Darien Fawkes enter.  
"Where are you going?" Robert asks. They walk closer to me so, I am forced to move back towards the bed.  
"To my car?"  
"Your car isn't on the lot,Eberts?" Darien says, walking closer to me. I step back again.  
I curse mentally, bloody hell, I had let Nathan borrow it, -or- maybe it was Jaden. Damn, it I wish those mouse would stop with their icepicks, I can't think straight. I take a deep breath. "I'll call a cab, then."  
"No, you won't, you are staying right here, little paper pusher." Hobbes says. They come towards me again, I almost fall onto the bed, but catch myself. I need to think of a way to get out. Wait, did he just call me little paper pusher? He did.  
"Hobbes, if you ever bloody call me any name again, I will beat you to a bloody pulp!"   
"Hey, don't get hostile, Charlie Brown, I didn't mean anything..." I lunge towards him.  
Darien puts his hands on my chest to stop me."Hey, buddy, now is..." He realizes what he had done, as I scream in pain, and fall to the floor hard on my knees.   
The Door opens. "What happened?" Claire asks.  
"He was trying to escape, then he got violent when Hobbes called him a name, I tried to stop him from killing Hobbes, and I think I accidently touched his burns." Darien kneels down beside me. "I am sorry, man, are you okay?"  
I nod weakly. I feel the tears forming in the back of my eyes, but its not the time for that. I try to stand, and another surge of pain brings me hard back on my knees. I can't stop the tears from flowing this time, and I bow my head into my hands.I am an idiot.A freaking idiot, I can't do anything right. "You shouldn't be sorry, its my fault, I'm an idiot." I mumble to Darien between the sobs. He places his hand on my shoulder, patting it in a very careful manner. "You're not an idiot."  
Claire and Robert kneel on the floor, in front of me."You're not an idiot, sweetheart, don't say that. "  
"No, you're a good man, ..." Hobbes says, he stops himself from finishing. I think he was going to call me Charlie Brown. I could almost laugh at it, if I wasn't in so much pain.  
  
  
  
  
  



	17. ch. 17

Part 17  
It will work.  
  
Lucrezia ia taking a long time to seduce and kill one politician.It is a fairly easy manner, I know, because I have seduced a few. Politicians are the easiest people in the world to seduce, no matter their sexual prefrence, because they are seduced every day by those annoying lobbist.Sometimes, I think a woman would be more good at this field, because though it is easy to get a male to believe hes gay with psychological tricks, it is not a fun ride with me, fortunate for me, I always kill them before things get frightening.  
  
I am babbling again. My scotch is all gone, drinking scotch tends to loosen my tongue slightly. I need someone to talk with, it is getting boring around here and I can't trust my staff. They just let two bloody people go, one a tortured paper pusher, and then a strong minded woman that could have been very easy to break down. Miss Monroe is like Lucrezia in away because she hides her emotions, and doesn't let them try to rule her, but they always end up doing that. Like when Lucrezia visits the graves of some of the people she's killed, and Monroe goes charging into battle to risk her life, instead of seeing someone else hurt. They will both eventually form serious problems from this, and I hope Monroe learned part of her lesson today, when she charged into the camp, and I made her watch Eberts recieve his thirteenth and final lash of the hickory stick, and then made her watched him get shot. And she knows the shot was the only serious thing that had brought him to death's door.  
  
I feel like beginning another tirade of terror with my employees, but I do need a few left to help me with things. I wonder where Lucy is? She should be home now.I need some music. I turn on the radio, a piece from Verdi is playing, I sit in a blue chair, close my eyes, and absorb the music in.  
  
Soon, I hear soft footfalls on the carpet, and my metal door opens. I open my eyes, and watch Lucrezia as she kicks off her shoes, and strips off her now smeared with blood white dress. She stands in undergarments, as she searches through her closet.   
  
"Hello, Lucrezia." She is so beautiful.   
  
She turns towards my chair. "Hello, Arnaud, shouldn't you be torturing your prisoners. " She begins rummaging through a drawer in the closet. "Where are my cigarettes?" She mumbles.   
  
I pick her gold cigarette case, and lighter off a small table near me. "Right here." I say, walking towards her. I hand them to her.  
  
"Merci, you didn't answer my question?" She sticks a thin tobacco stick between her lips. She lights it, and pulls off a blue dress off the rack, and slips it on.   
  
"Oh, oui, je sais, my prisoners, have escaped, but I have a plan?"  
  
She blows a delicate stream of smoke, "Let me guess you need my help?"  
  
"Oh, course, ma amoure, Let's go into the bar, I need a drink, oh, and don't mind the dead body."  
  
She raises an eyebrow, but nods. "I do need a drink."  
  
(more to come)  



	18. ch. 18

Part 18  
into the abyss  
  
Eberts is asleep now, Claire has given him some sedatives, though he asked for no drugs, she said it would be best for him. I noticed he wanted to argue with her, something in his mind is snapping, but he was able to control it this time.I have never been torturted so I do not know what the tortured dream. I have heard stories of nightmares of the torturees, maybe our little paper pusher will not have such dreams.There is a beast inside of him, that has been exposed by the torture, a beast I probably resemble on QSM. I don't know if we can substain the beast in Eberts though, me and Hobbes say it when he lunged for Hobbes after Hobbes had called him Charlie Brown, right after Eberts had asked not to be called names. The name calling, which Bobby does to everyone, most have gotten on Eberts nerves before, but what else have we done to him that he disagrees with. He isn't exactly the most talkative person, mainly because the official is always shutting him up, and mainly because we usually dont' talk to him that much. He has to be highly intelligant, we know so very little about him, and maybe we are talking to him a little more than before, sincethe clone thing, but we still don't know that much about him.  
  
Claire has chased us out of the lab, she has asked us to let Eberts sleep. Hobbes and I leave reluctuntly, we want to be there if he opens his eyes. The reason is kind of bad, we want to see if he still is mad, but we also want to be there to be supportive. She thinks we should let him be, and she doesn't want us in their bothering us. She hinted about trying to look for a way to take the gland out, while she waited, and we decided to leave her alone with her work. Though it would be fun to bother her, we know our limitations.  
  
We decide to wander the hallways.  
  
"Hey, you want to go check out Eberts office?" Hobbes asks.  
  
"And why would we do that?" I arch an eyebrow at him.  
  
"Maybe we can find an address book. So, we can contact his friends, and his family, well the one's who don't know what happened." Hobbes says.  
  
"That's a good idea, Alex did say she couldn't find many people listed."  
  
"Where is Eberts office?" Hobbes asks.  
  
That's a really good question, I hadn't thought of that before."I don't know, maybe the official will know."  
  
"Umm..." Hobbes is about to reply when he sees Alex wandering the hall. "Hey, Alex, you know where Eberts's office is?"  
  
She looks up at him, as if she had been daydreaming. "I know the general area, why don't we go over there and look."  
  
She takes us to a part of the agency a turn in the corridor's away from the Official's office. Two brown doors sit side by side. "One is his office and one is the janitor's closet."   
  
"Why would anyone want an office near a janitor's closet?" Hobbes and I both ask at the same time. We didn't plan that.  
  
"I don't know." Alex says.   
  
Hobbes opens one of the right door, and a broom and other various cleaning equipment clatters to the floor. Hobbes steps back just in time, before he gets hit by a large, silver bucket. "Wrong door." he mumbles, and we help him put all the things back neatly. When everything is back in place. We open the left door, and peer into Eberts small office.  
  
(more to come)  
  



	19. ch. 19

Part 19  
Our Quest : To seek for Eberts's address book  
  
Why in the world could anyone stand such an office so small? No wonder Eberts is always standing behind the Official, a mouse would get claustiphobic in this hole in the wall.I gaze around the room, it looks like all yard sale furniture, even the computer looks like it can easily be bought off of some peddler who stole it from a warehouse that went out of business many moons ago. The only decent things are the books on the bookcase, and the two small paintings.   
  
"Should we go in?" Darien asks looking between me and Monroe.  
  
"Well, I see no trouble in it."Monroe answers, and slides into the office.   
  
"We need to leave everything in the exact order we found it, -or- Eberts will kill us, especially in the mood he's in." I tell them.  
  
"That means not to touch anything. The furniture doesn't look sturdy." Darien comments. I almost laugh at this, but it is probably true. The furniture could probably fall into a pile of twigs at the slightest sound, -or- touch. I would hate to be here in an earthquake, -or- a fire. The place would be a pile of rubble in under three seconds.   
  
Darien and I come in behind Alex. The paintings draw me to them, and I go to admire them. One is done by a Charlotte Eberts, which it states elegantly, in big letters, his wife? That's nice, he's married, I didn't know that. It is a small piece of some orchids.I don't really see him as the arty type, so he probably hung it to make her happy. Though it is really good, Eberts does not strike me as the art type, more one of those computer geeks who plays video games all day, and watches Star Trek Next Generation, and reading scifi novels. You can almost smell the flowers though, I'll have to ask if I can get his wife to paint me a picture of flowers, maybe send it to Vivian as a wedding gift. I heard she was getting married, and I want to show her I have no hard feelings.   
  
I move to the next painting, one of those paintings you might see in a gallery, in the style of Money, -or- Renar, -or- what ever those french dudes names are. Its nice, a scene of a castle, with a young maiden gazing down, and a knight in shiny armor rescuing her. I scrint to see the name in small block lettering. a. eberts. He didn't paint that. There is no way. I turn to Alex, carefully rummaging through his desk drawers, and Darien reading through books on the bookcase. "Eberts, isn't a painter is he?"  
  
Alex looks up. "He is. I found that out when I was researching for people."  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
She nods, and goes back to looking, "Yes, his mother, Charlotte is a painter as well. Are those one of his paintings?" She asks nodding towards the one I am looking at.  
  
"Yep, and the one next to it is done by his mother." His mother, hmm, was Bobby Hobbes wrong for once. He is the art type, and it isn't his wife, that's weird. I must be losing it, it must be from the fact I haven't eaten in four hours. That's it. I will have to get some food soon, I am making bad guesses, and Bobby Hobbes never makes bad guesses.  
  
"I found it!" Darien says, holding a black book, as he closes a blue book and puts it back on the shelf.  
  
"Good, let's go, before it looks like we've been here." Alex commands. I scratch my head, this whole thing was my idea, why aren't I in charge. Oh, well, she is right.  
  
Darien and I nod. We leave, closing the door behind us.  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	20. ch. 20

Part 20  
Streets are uneven when you're down   
After we check out Eberts office, Alex and Hobbes begin to notify people from the address book, I figure now is the perfect time to sneak back into the keep to bother Claire. I walk with Alex, and Bobby towards the phone area, when we are stopped by the Official who is walking the hallways.  
  
"What were you doing in Eberts's Office?"  
  
"We were just looking for his address book, so we can warn people he's was hurt." Monroe says, glaring at him, like this is of utmost importance.  
  
"Put it back!" The Official says. "Some of his friends are here, and they will inform the rest of his friends, and his family."  
  
"Wait, how can his friends be here, they have to have access..." Bobby answers  
  
"They have access. Well, one of them does, now go put his address book back!" The Official glares at all of us.  
  
"You don't trust us to give them some help, sir?" I ask.  
  
"Just go put it back, we do not need to be going through Eberts' things. This is not a suggestion, it is an order!"  
  
Monroe nods. "Okay, we will go put it back, but if we need it again, don't forget we know where it is."  
  
He shakes his head at us, and walks away. I decide to ditch Monroe, and Hobbes, let them put the book back them selves, so I go transparent. I walk towards the lab, I want to see these friends.I peek inside. The two guys from earlier are sitting on opposite sides talking to Eberts. Eberts does not look pleased. I wonder if they are playing good cop, bad cop, to convince Eberts of something. I step inside. I realize Eberts is only mad at one of them, when I hear him say.  
  
"Will you either stick with your british accent, -or- your american accent, Richie, you are giving me a bigger headache." I would see why he would get a headache from that. Poor guy.  
  
"I'm sorry, Albie, chap, its never in my control." The man I reconize as Smith answers.  
  
"Do not lie, Richard. " He looks up in my direction. "What can I help you with Darien?"   
  
I dequicksilver, as the two reporter types turn to me too slowly. "Just checking on you, buddy. Who are your friends?"  
  
"This is Rich, and this is Bennie." He says pointing respectivily.  
  
"Didn't we meet earlier?" Rich says switching back to his American voice.  
  
"Richard!" Eberts says, he gazes around the room, probably for something to smack him with. Bennie laughs.  
  
"Weren't you just warned about that, Rich, I don't think Albie is in the mood for that." His pager goes off.  
  
"What?" Rich asks sounding British this time.  
  
"Rich, stay with one accent, -or- You will not be happy." Eberts says. I almost laugh at this, he sounds like the quiet Eberts standing behind the official, but I remember him lunging at Hobbes earlier, and stifle the laugh.  
  
"I have to run, ALbs, but before I go, I want to warn you not to yell at Jaden, when you get home." Bennie answers.  
  
"Yell at him? What did he do Bennie?" Eberts asks, he sits up, not content at all.  
  
"Umm... I'll tell you later, Claire said you needed some rest, let's go Rich."   
  
"Wait..." They flee out, before he can finish. I chuckle at them, they look like they are hiding a serious crime. I walk to the chair Smith had abandoned.   
  
"How you feeling?"  
  
"I've been better."  
  
"Anything I can get you?"  
  
He shakes his head. I figure now is the time to get a little information out of him, hopefully he doesn't go off.  
  
"How do they know Claire?"  
  
"We went to high school together?"  
  
I raise an eyebrow. "Really, so, what's her last name?"   
  
"Darien that is confidential."He shakes his head at the question." Do you mind if I go back to sleep?"  
  
"Sure, go ahead, I am going to go talk to Hobbes. See you later." He nods. I walk out of the lab. I wonder why Arnaud thought he could get information out of him. He seems to have built a wall around the information. Maybe if we hadn't gotten him out he would eventually crack, and his information would flood out. Maybe he already did give information out to Arnaud, we never did finish the tape. But I don't think any of us want to see the tape all the way through.  
  
(More to come)  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	21. ch. 21

  
  
Part 21  
I Dream of Rain  
  
The martini glass flys right next to my head. I duck, but the liquid falls into my hair. I wipe it out instantly, though it doesn't really matter anyway.No one can see me anyway.I hear the glass fall into an empty space on the shelves behind me. I had to suggest we get a drink. One day, I will learn that is not a suggestion with Lucrezia.It is too easy for her to throw glasses, when she gets angry with things.   
  
"I can't believe you would even suggest a thing, Arnaud, what if it doesn't work. I have had them under surveillance for awhile, and I do know, some of his friends, swing the wrong way." She glares at me. I believe next time, if I am foolish enough, to offer her a drink, before I ask of her something, she will not like, I will move where she doesn't know where I am, after asking. I keep forgetting sometimes I am invisible, and I have advantages that other's do not have. Like I do not need to stand in the same place talking, that makes me too easy a target. Well, I don't really know if I had an option to move, I need to make a note, staying behind bar, when Lucrezia is mad, is not always an option, she may jump over and attack.   
  
"Ma Chere, just because a few of his friends swing that way, doesn't mean he swings that way." I say standing. "I don't want you to marry him -or- anything, just a few dates to lure him to the darkside." I move away, I pull a scotch bottle from under the counter, and pour myself a shot.   
  
"You really need to listen to yourself sometimes, lure him to the darkside, Arnaud, darling."I cring at the sarcastic way she says darling. " You just kidnapped and tortured him, and now you want me to seduce him to come over to the our side. You are losing it, bambino."  
  
"Losing it!! I have not lost it, You have not seen the tape!!! You did not hear his mad laughter after the torture. You see I believe he just needed something to crack him, and he would realize being the little choir boy, isn't always the best thing. Lucrezia, I am not losing it, I am realizing his potential, he could be a great student, if we teach him correctly.You and I can do it. You never see the full picture, this will work, it is more easy to do a job with an inside man, and you know it. They would already suspect something if I cloned him again, but to have him turn against them, without them knowing, it would be marvelous. It would work. And we would have control, and soon, I would be able to be visible again." I tell her, putting a hand over her mouth. She tries to bite my hand. One day, she will realize I am right, and she is far less inferior. I am always right! I have never been wrong, all my failed attempts to capture information about the gland, -or- to kill Darien, had never been my fault. They had been other's mistakes. But this one would not fail, it was too simple to fail, and Albert was to easy to go along with it, for it not to work.  
  
I remove my hand, and pour her a drink, and slide it to her.She catches it. "I don't like this, I do not think it will work. And why try and make Eberts as a double agent. He is worthless, he can be no help at all."  
  
I glare at her, too bad she can't see. "Lucrezia! It will work! Trust me! He is not worthless! He can be a very valuble asset! Finish your drink and we will go watch the tape! You and he are very much alike, rebellious in a way, I will show you!! I was thinking about it before, when I planned to kidnap him, he has very many redeeming qualities, I will show you his files, and prove it to you!"   
  
(More to come in the next part of the trilogy)  
  



End file.
